Lamp-socket.



J. R. BYRNE.

LAMP SOCKET. APPLICATION FILEDJULYS, 1907.

Patented Apr. 20, 1909 INVENTEIR J'UHN R.EIL.|RNE U W WITNEEISEEJ duration of the arc to a'minimum. In prac.'

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JoHN a. BYRNE, OF SOHENEOTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

LAMP-SOCKET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented A ril 20, 1909.

To all whom it may coacern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN R. BYRNE, acitizen of the United'States, residing at Schen-.

ectady, county of Schenectady, State of New York, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Lamp-Sockets, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to electric lighting and more especially to key sockets for lncandescent lamps,

It is Well known that whenever an electric circuit is broken an arc tends to-form between the conductor parts at the instant of breaking thereof'and will continue until the distance between the conductor arts is too great for the arc to maintain itsel Inorder that the injurious effect. of the arcs on switches and circuit breakers may be made as small as possible, it is the general practice to provide the device with a spring or other means which will produce a sudden or snap movement of the switch parts to reduce the ticallyall the key or switch sockets in use up to the present time, the snap action hasbeen obtained by a leaf spring bearing upon a block or cam actuated ,by the key. On account of the localization of the strains in a flat s ring, the repeated bending thereof quick y exhausts its strength and, as a consequence, the leaf springs or key sockets are made of vspecial phosphor bronze alloy and with large dimensions in order that the life of the socket may not be unduly short on account of breaking of the spring.v

The object of my invention is to provide a key lamp-socket which shall be highly efiie cient in operation, the parts of which shall i be of low cost to manufacture. and assemble the p and generally better adapted to withstand severe usage than the sockets heretofore in of the screw shell m which the incandescentlamp is normally'held and make electricalc'onnection between it and the yoke to which one of the line wires is connected, and when the key is turned so as to carry alon arm of the switch block out of vcontact'wit the the desired lost motion.

plunger, the sprin operates to sna the latter away from't e flange and brea the electric circuit.

Fora more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be made to the following detailed description thereof and to the accompanying drawing forming a part of. this specification, in which- Figure 1 is an axial section of a complete key socket embodying one form of my invention; Fig. 2 is a view showing the screw shell in side elevation and the base and arts carried thereby in transverse section; 3 is a front plan of the base and parts carried thereby; and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the key, yoke andshell flange in operative relation.

The outside shell 1, the cap 2 and the linings 3, 4 thereof are of standard construction,

and accordingly neednot be described here.

The insulating base 5 is similar to the base described and claimed in the Tournier patent 559,232, April 28, 1896, and consists of a single piece of porcelain having a central channe portion with the left-hand'end thereof made wider at 7, as shown in Fig. 3, a wedgeshaped section 8 cut out of the upper right-/ hand corner, and a side recess 9 cut in the lower portion opposite the center of the central channel 6.'

The bearing yoke 10 is secured in the central channel 6 by a screw 11, and it consists of a metalpunching with its right-hand end bent down at right angles and provided with a bearing for the key shaft 12' and a binding screw 13; the left-hand end of the yoke is bent up at 14 into a depression in the top of the channel 6 and then bent down at 15 at right angles, and the end portion 16 bent inwardly. The vertical portion 15 is provided with a .drawn out bearing 17 for the inner end of-the key. shaft 12 and the end portion 16 is provided with a drawn out bearing 18 for the plunger 19. p The key consists of a shaft 12 having thumb piece 20 fixed to one end and lugs 21 struck up from opposite sides near the Inner end thereof.

The switch block 22 consists of an oblong hollow block of sheet metal journaled loosely upon the shaft 12 and in position to surround the lugs 21 so that they will transmit the rotary movement of theshaft thereto with 6 extending entirely across the lower The lunger 19 has a cylindrical portion adapted to slide freely in bearing 18 at the end of the yoke 10 and a flattened headat the. upper end adapted to rest against the switch block 122. A helical spring 23 surrounds the plunger 19 and presses against the lower surface of its head and the upper surface of the inwardly-bent end of the yoke 10 to thereby maintain the plunger in contact with the switch block in whiche er position the latter may be,

The screw shell 24 is provided with a flange 25 which is pierced at 26 for screws 27 which pass therethrough and through holes 28 in the base to secure it to the lower end of the latter. The plunger 19 is made sufliciently long to positlvely engage the flange 25 and, in order to provide a certain. flexibility between the parts, a slot 29 is cut in the side of the shell so as to free a short section of the flange therefrom in the vicinity of the plunger.

A center contact 30 of ordinary constructi'on is secured in the side recess 9 of the base and provided with a binding screw 31. Notches 32 are cut in the periphery of the base adjacent the binding screws 13 for the reception of the conductorwires (not shown). I 0 not desire to restrict myself to the particular form or. arrangement of parts shown and described, since it is apparent that they may be changed and modified without de parting from my invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is,

1. In a lamp socket, the combination with a lamp contact, of a yoke insulated there from having a bent end in which a bearing aperture is formed, a spring-pressed plunger in said aperture, and a key for actuating said plunger.

2. -I-n a lamp socket, the combination with .a lamp contact, of a bearing yoke insulated therefrom, a key journaled in said yoke, a headed plunger movable in said yoke at right angles to the key and adapted to engage said contact, and a helical spring surrounding said plunger and thrusting against the head thereof and a side of the yoke.

3. In a lamp socket, the combination of a key, a bearing yoke therefor provided with an aperture at one end, a spring-pressed plunger slidably mounted in said aperture at right angles to the key, and a screw shell contact having a flexible flangeladapted to be engaged by said plunger.

1n witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 28th day of June, 1.907.

- JOHN R. BYRNE.

W1tnesses BENJAMIN B. HULL, HELEN ORFoRD. 

